The Influence of Music Reading on Spatial Working Memory and Self-Assessment Accuracy

Previous research has suggested that Western musicians, who generally demonstrate proficiency in reading musical scores, exhibit superior performance in visuospatial working memory tasks compared to non-musicians. Evidence indicates brain activation in regions such as the left inferior parietal lobe and the right posterior fusiform gyrus during music reading, which are associated with visuospatial processing. This study aimed to explore how musical training influences spatial working memory and to examine the relationship between self-assessment accuracy and cognitive performance.

A visuospatial working memory test, the Corsi block-tapping test (CBT), was administered to 70 participants, including 35 musicians with experience in music reading and 35 non-musicians. CBT performances were compared between groups, controlling for sex and age differences using analysis of covariance. Participants were also asked to self-assess their visuospatial capabilities.

Musicians performed significantly better than non-musicians in the CBT and demonstrated greater metacognitive accuracy in evaluating their visuospatial memory capacities. A total of 46.34% of musicians who claimed good performance on the CBT did in fact perform well, in comparison with 14.63% of non-musicians. Sex influenced the outcomes of spatial working memory, while age did not significantly affect performance.

This self-awareness of visuospatial capabilities reflects a form of metacompetence, encompassing reflective thinking and the ability to assess one's cognitive skills. Furthermore, while differences in spatial working memory between musicians and non-musicians appear to be related to executive functions associated with general music practice, further investigation is needed to explore other potential influences beyond musical experience.